Intentions of Green Behavior by Mountain Climbers at the Hallasan National Park and World Heritage Site

Abstract

In the field of social sciences, there has been a relative lack of empirical research analyzing the influential relationship between tourism motivations for visiting the Hallasan National Park and meaningful variables corresponding to this tourism motivation, and there has specifically been a lack of such research targeting tourists who visit and recognize the value of Hallasan National Park. Therefore, the current study aims to empirically analyze the relationship between tourism motivations and their impact on the image of the Hallasan National Park, as well as their place attachment and intention of green behavior. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the revitalization and promotion of tourism in Jeju Island by improving the image of the Hallasan National Park. This study established and tested a research model based on the structural relationship among tourism motivation, emotional image of the Hallasansan National Park, place attachment, and intention of green behavior from the perspectives of tourists. First, the findings of this study confirm that the motivation of tourists to visit the Hallasan National Park directly affects the emotional image, place attachment, and intention of green behavior. Second, this study demonstrates that the emotional image formed by tourists is a variable that directly affects place attachment. Lastly, this study demonstrates that the place attachment formed by tourists does not appear to have a direct effect on their green behavior intention. This study concludes by discussing the strategic implications and limitations of this work.